Fragments of a Paradise

by Jean Giono, Paul Eprile (translator), Michael Wood (introduction)

“Giono’s prose is a singularly fine blend of realism and poetic sensibility.” — The Washington PostGiono’s very own Moby-Dick, a sensational maritime journey that follows a crew inwards on a spiritual tale of evocative sea-glimpsesAn allegorical critique of modern civilization and the damages of war, Giono’s oft-overlooked seafaring tale sweeps the reader along a narrative as poetic and undulating as the wind, tacking between the sea’s mysteries and the intricacies of the men’s conversations and inner thoughts as they attempt to grasp the sensory reality around them.“I no longer have any interest in living under the conditions that this era allows,” writes the Captain of L’Indien, a ship whose radio remains packed in a crate in the hold. The men aboard won’t be needing it; they have no interest in connecting with the world of ordinary men. With enough provisions to last them five years, they set sail in July of 1940 for the South Seas, leaving civilization behind in search of the unknown.Hastening onwards, Giono’s men steer deeper into themselves, seeking a purpose beyond the “world in upheaval” they left behind—a moving and spiritual work written by one of Europe’s most ardent 20th-century pacifists.A sensational novel that delves into the unknown reaches of the sea and soul, perfect for readers seeking a poetic escape that challenges the political and social status-quo.

Genres: Fiction, France, Literature

215 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

About the author

Jean Giono, the only son of a cobbler and a laundress, was one of France's greatest writers. His prodigious literary output included stories, essays, poetry, plays, film scripts, translations and over thirty novels, many of which have been translated into English.

Giono was a pacifist, and was twice imprisoned in France at the outset and conclusion of World War II.

He remained tied to Provence and Manosque, the little city where he was born in 1895 and, in 1970, died.

Giono was awarded the Prix Bretano, the Prix de Monaco (for the most outstanding collected work by a French writer), the Légion d'Honneur, and he was a member of the Académie Goncourt.

Reviews

[Dylan Kaposi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate saying things like this, but this might be the most beautiful book I have ever read.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my new favorite seafaring novel… granted I haven’t read Moby Dick but this was really beautiful

[Jake Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly captivating despite its fragmentary nature. The end sort of peters out. It's hard to separate this from the context of Moby Dick for me

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

The weirdest kind of magical realist piffle, basically, as a ship of old sails the ocean, and encounters no end of mysteries – a phoenix-like bird lands on the deck, copious little critters get discovered that change colour at the blink of an eye before dying, a ray the size of several football fields surfaces and gives off a stench that gives everyone existential angst… They catch and eventually dismember a mahoosive shark whose heart keeps beating independently for a whole day afterwards.

Yes, there is a kind of sensuousness sought by the author here, with smells, the sounds of the wind hitting distant islands, and colours that had remained undiscovered by human eye up to that point all featured. But the whole thing is just vacuous magic, empty extravaganza, and even with the great name of the author on board there was no conviction I was going to get anything enjoyable. Even the promise that this was 1940 (which hadn't been stated by anyone when I gave up on it) and that this was actually a pacifist rail-against-the-world kind of drama couldn't hold my interest. Seriously not my kind of read.

[Roxane Dumontheil · Rating 3 out of 5]

(read ahead of 11/22 McJ event w/ Paul Eprile (translator))
i wanted to like this a lot more than i did :( there's a lot of really great meditations on colors, heaven/hell, humanity, the sea, etc. but it never really came together into a cohesive whole
i found it particularly bizarre that we finally get introduced to the crew in depth in the LAST chapter
the last few paragraphs are particularly poignant, and those lines combined with some really amazing descriptions of color/smell were my favorite parts of this novel, but not enough to really make me LOVE this
still excited to ask the translator 17398309 questions (side bar, this is probably the first French book I read in translation and that was an experience in an of itself)

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me, this one. It appears to be an allegory or fable of some kind, as the blurb helpfully describes it as an allegorical critique of modern civilisation and the damages of war. Thanks for that, Archipelago, as I’m sadly not perceptive enough to have worked it out for myself. In fact, I was pretty much at sea (pun intended) throughout. The book narrates a sea voyage in an old ship during which the crew encounter all sorts of weird (magical?) creatures but to what end I simply can’t guess. Nothing tempted me to continue with it, so I didn’t.

[Fitch Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of parts about this I really really liked— all the weird encounters with nature, and the way he pays so much attention to the way things sound and smell. The pacing was a bit strange, though. A lot of characters only got mentioned in the last 20 pages. The introduction did address this, so I can’t fault it too much.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow

[Paul Chislett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible novel!

[vr reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book for spiritual dissidents & psychogeographers